Urban and Community Fisheries Programs: Development, Management, and Evaluation

Summer Fishing Coaches Lure Youth to Urban Waters

Theresa Stabo

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874042.ch28

Abstract.—The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WI DNR) has long had an urban fishing program in Milwaukee County, the state’s largest population center. The program has largely consisted of hosting youth fishing clinics twice a year (winter and spring) on stocked ponds in county parks. The WI DNR launched an internship program to provide fishing coaches at urban community centers in 2005. These positions were designed to provide more frequent fishing opportunities for urban youth than the traditional one-day clinic model. The first intern was stationed at the Urban Ecology Center (UEC) on the banks of the Milwaukee River in a neighborhood known for poverty, drugs, and violence. The partnership between the WI DNR the UEC has been effective at introducing Milwaukee-area youth to overlooked fishing opportunities and nearby water resources. Based on the success of the Milwaukee fishing coach, a second intern was stationed at the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County (BGCDC) in Madison in 2006. Challenging socioeconomic backgrounds limit fishing opportunities for youth served by both the UEC and the BGCDC. This program helps to meet the needs of low-income urban youth by providing supervised fishing opportunities in or near their neighborhood.